Instead, he chose to step into the dimensional rift, seeking a greater evolution.
However, just as he was about to achieve the status of True God, a sudden god war that erupted within a crack between the Dimensional Void and the Abyss turned all the ambitions and wild dreams of the King of Giants to nothing.
The Divine Throne and Stars Chalice, which had taken him thousands of years to accumulate and were nearly complete, became the bridal gown for that Abyssal visitor known as "Ashes."
Even the Element Plane of Fire, which had once submitted to his rule, switched its allegiance, becoming one of the myriad followers of the Lord of Ashes.
"I will have my revenge, revenge!"
"Revenge upon Ashes, upon that traitorous Plane that betrayed me."
"Slay the followers of Ashes, topple that despicable thief from the Divine Throne, let the entire Abyss burn in the flames of my wrath!"
In an instant, madness, despair, corruption, anger, and many other negative emotions rushed into Shiayar's mind along with the frenzied murmurs.
It was an incredibly fierce rage, as if it wanted to incinerate all things, carrying with it the ancient language of the Giant Race, hailing from the ancient primitive times.
If one were to translate it, it would roughly be, "A madman sharpens his blade by night, the Imperial Star falters, and Mars burns balefully high!"
And what also flooded into Shiayar's mind were the myriad memories belonging to the owner of that pale white skull—the memories of the fallen Ashen King.
They were the memories of a lord of a Plane who had been a step away from the realm of True Gods, spanning thousands of years.
In the face of that vast sea of memories, human memories, spanning mere decades or centuries, were like a single grain of sand in the vast ocean, easily swept away.
It's always been said that True Gods never truly die, and now it seems that's indeed the case.
Even a deity that fell many Eras ago made provisions upon their remains for their continuation.
If I hadn't entered the Garden of Eden... then perhaps I really would have been overwhelmed by these foreign memories and become a mere vessel for your recollections.
Feeling the surge of memory fragments washing over his soul, Shiayar couldn't help shaking his head.
Had his own self been drowned in the thousands of years of the other's memories, he would no longer be Shiayar. Instead, he would have become a lord of the Fire Element Plane possessing Shiayar's memories, allowing that ancient god to be reborn in another way.
What a pity...
Shiayar gave a slight smile, donning his brilliant golden title, 'Godslayer.'
This level of corruption and erosion doesn't measure up to even one ten-thousandth of what my dear wife and the Princess have endured.
The next moment, in his mental sea, hundreds of dim stars of Sands of Time resonated with a thunderous hum.
Brilliant starlight blazed against the pitch-black canvas of his mental sea.
It was as if constellations ignited all at once within the Sea of Stars.
The chaotic and twisted, mad whispers, along with countless memory fragments, were obliterated by the brilliant starlight, vanishing without a trace.
The dark embers clinging to Shiayar's skin slowly receded.
"You already lost, lost in the god war thousands of years ago."
"With your current strength, you aren't qualified to usurp my body, let alone take revenge on the Lord of Ashes."
"However, I can give you a chance."
"A chance to take revenge on that Abyssal thief who usurped your Divine Throne and beguiled your followers."
Shiayar's Spiritual Entity stood amidst the twinkling starlight of his mental sea, speaking slowly into the vast, desolate depths.
"I know this skull was the last hope upon which you pinned your wish for rebirth. You certainly have another gambit hidden, one unknown to the Lord of Ashes."
"For instance, a backdoor to alter the Power of Faith stored in this Sacred Relic, undetected by the Lord of Ashes's true form in the Astral Realm."
"Give me this hidden method."
Shiayar's voice was very calm.
"In exchange, I can promise you—"
"If I get the chance, I'll send the Lord of Ashes down to keep you company."
"You should know that what I'm saying is not an empty promise."
As Shiayar finished speaking, the once frenzied and savage whispers, along with the dark embers and chaotic memory fragments, slowly subsided into silence.
This was the consciousness of the Flaming King of Giants, the remnant of its will still lingering within its own skull.
The brief encounter in Shiayar's mental sea had left this King of Giants, who once was just one step from the Divine Throne, utterly astonished.
He appeared to be merely human, not having even set foot in the Divine Realm or on the Path of Godhood Ascension. Yet, his spirit was far more resilient than some of the Demigods the King of Giants had directly confronted before.
With its residual power, eroded over thousands of years, it couldn't harm Shiayar's soul, let alone dream of seizing his body for rebirth.
And more importantly—
From Shiayar, the former King of Giants distinctly sensed an inexplicable and terrifying aura. It made its heart palpitate, bringing it to the brink of suffocation.
That was the mark left by slaying a god.
To any Fabled Creature who had chosen the path to godhood and entered the Divine Realm, this brand signified an undying enmity. It also evoked the absolute dread of confronting a natural predator.
Shiayar's proposed exchange was no empty boast.
This terrifying human... he truly seems to have killed an ancient god.
After a long silence, an ancient voice, like the crackle of firewood consumed by flames, finally resonated within Shiayar's mental sea.